This is a non-argument. Sunfish is absolutely corrrect : his "by the book and nothing else" policy will (hopefully) ensure that he flies safely, and that if anything does go wrong, he won't get the book thrown at him. Good luck to him.
Of course this assumes every aircraft has a book to follow and that it covers all situations. They possibly do now since Product Liability reared its ugly head but don't expect to find much in books written for earlier aircraft. The handbook for the Leopard Moth is laughable.
If we all had to fly by the book most of the aircraft at Old Warden would be grounded - and most are a lot nastier than your average spamcan.